Ke Alahou, Volume I, Number 8, 1 July 1980 — Kamehameha Chants Keli'i Tau'a [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kamehameha Chants Keli'i Tau'a

(Pumehana Records)

Here are the young ones with love hear their voices calling Let us enter! Let us enter! We bring much dancing for you o King O Kamehameha the conqueror The influence of Kamehameha's leadership and accomplishments is still obvious today as it was in earlier times. It is even difficult today to separate the myth from the actual events of his life. Even with the numerous biographies and written accounts by historians and foreign visitors during his reign, we are left with very few honorific chants and hulas for.him. Perhaps the tauting words are true the Kamehameha's were, to be known for politics and the arts would have to wait for the Kalakauas. During the time of Kamehameha, a high priest Tau'a from Tahiti was brought to these Islands. His descendant, Keli'i Tau'a, has composed many new chants and hulas for Kamehameha in hopes of recti" fyingthe lack of performing songs. under the Pumehana Records label is the Kamehameha Chants which is similar to Tau'a's earlier recording of chants called The Pele Legend. The songs of Kamehameha are arranged as an epic story to be performed on stage re-accounting the events of his quest to unite the

island chiefdoms. The words of each new song reflect this idea of story-teller; they are simple and direct. Tau'a says that his songs are for young people to learn and hence the words, especially in Hawaiian, should not be exceedingly difficult as to discourage them. Also like his Pele album, Tau'a has done extensive research on the art of hula seeking to* find techniques that have been forgotten and then re-creating them during his recordings. However, I find the Kamehameha Chants to be a greatly improved recording than the Pele. The sound is clearer and the performance seems to have been better executed. There are four traditional songs on the album (Hole Waimea, Hoe Puna, Auhea wale ana ho'i 'oe and Waipi'o Paka'alana) while the other 18 are recent compositions, Tau'a is joined by members of his hslau ami guest performers George Maile, Holoua Stender and Charles Ka'upu. The album also includes an insert containing the Hawaiian and English lyrics. Also, a certain portion of the sales is being donated to the Pearl Harbor Hawaiian Civic Club to help them attend the annual, Hawaiian Civic Club Convention this November on Kauai. The night speaks . of the great flight through the islands returning with the boar In the name of the great king.

Ulu'o Kelfi (l-r) DwightTokumoto, Keli'iTau'a, Fabian ..Ka1i1L...........,..,.........